Every small-business owner or full-time retail clerk in the valley knows this terminology—retail jail. You're chained to the desk or counter, you have to know everything that has to do with the operation, you have to answer that phone, you must be nice to everybody, you have to open on time, stay overtime at night, show up when you're ill and balance the register. Then, you have to do inventory, order more products, think up sales promotions and ads, deal with the suppliers and the lenders and pay those taxes.

How's that private life going for ya'? Spending too much time wrapped up in retail, are you? Does your livelihood depend upon strangers coming through the door? Do you wear a name tag? What's wrong with this picture? Is this how you envisioned your life?

Most, nowadays, will tell you that you're lucky to have an income in these frightening economic times and you know that you are and you're thankful you're able to keep the creditors at bay, but come on! What about your needs?

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My heart goes out to every one of you who has to face this dilemma week end and week out. We all seem to be caught in a spider's web called "Hafta." We hafta do this in order to gain that. We hafta earn this much so we can pay this much. We hafta work this much so we can have that time for us and our families. We hafta earn so we can stay.

These are the trade-outs we must make to live in the best community in the world. We are blessed to be able to enjoy our beautiful surroundings. We remember what it was like in those other places to which we refuse to return. Sometimes, you just hafta suck it up in "retail jail." When we were kids, there was school, but then, there was recess, and now we have a helluva playground. Enjoy your summer, and nice talking to you.

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